RESTRICTED  
  
WT/TPR/W/ 175 
24 January 2020  
(20-0592) Page: 1/15 
Trade Policy Review Body    
 
* In Original language only/ En langue originale seulement /En el idioma original solamente . 
  
OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE I NTERNATIONAL TRADING SYSTEM 
DRAFT MINUTES  OF THE MEETING* HELD ON 12 DECEMBER 201 9 
Delegations are invited to submit factual corrections, if any, on their own statement to the 
Secretariat ( Mrs Barbara Blanquart: barbara.blanquart@wto.org , or to  tprd@wto.org ) no later 
than 7 February 20 20. 
 
Organe d'examen des politiques commerciales  
 
TOUR D'HORIZON DE L'ÉVOLUTION DE L 'ENVIRONNEMENT COMMERCIAL INTERNATIONAL  
PROJET DE COMPTE REN DU DE LA RÉUNION* TENUE LE  12 DÉCEMBRE 201 9 
Les délégations sont invitées à soumettre  leurs éventuelles corrections factuelles concernant leurs 
propres déclarations au Secrétariat ( Mme Barbara Blanquart: barbara.blanquart@wto.org , ou 
tprd@wto.org ) le 7 février 20 20 au plus tard.  
 
Órgano de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales  
 
REVISTA GENERAL DE LA EVOLUCIÓN DEL ENTORNO COMERCIAL INTERNACIONAL  
PROYECTO DE ACTA DE LA REUNIÓN* CELEBRADA EL DÍA  12 DE DICIEMBRE DE 201 9 
Las delegaciones pueden enviar a la Secretaría (Sr a. Barbara Blanquart: 
barbara.blanquart@wto.org , o tprd@wto.org ) a más tardar el 7 de febrero de 20 20 las 
correcciones fácticas que deseen introducir en sus propias declaraciones.  
 
 
_______________  
 
  WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE  
INTERNATIONAL TRADING ENVIRONMENT  
 
DRAFT  MINUTES OF THE MEETING  
12 December 201 9 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr. Manuel A.J. Teehankee  (Philippines)  
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS  BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
1. Good afternoon and welcome to this meeting of the TPRB, which was convened by 
Airgram  WTO/AIR/TPR/92 on 21 November.  
2. The purpose of this meeting is for Member s and Observers of the Trade Policy Review Body 
to undertake their annual overview of developments in the international trading environment which 
are having an impact on the multilateral trading system, as provided in Paragraph G of Annex 3 of 
the Marrakes h Agreement.  
3. As mentioned in the Airgram, today's discussion is assisted by the Director -General's Annual 
Report which provides a comprehensive "tour d'horizon" of the overall state of global trade and of 
significant developments in the implementation of trade policies by WTO Members between 
mid-October 2018 and mid -October 2019. The Report was circulated in document WT/TPR/OV/22 
on 29 November in English. In accordance with the Rules of Procedure for meetings of the TPRB, the 
Report was issued as an unres tricted document. This Report builds on the mid -year trade monitoring 
report submitted to this Body in July 2019.  
4. At the outset, I should briefly recall the purpose of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which 
according to Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreemen t, is to achieve greater transparency in, and 
understanding of Members' trade and trade -related policies and measures. The TPRM is not intended 
to serve as a basis for the enforcement of obligations under WTO Agreements, nor for 
dispute -settlement purposes  or to impose new policy commitments on Members. These fundamental 
principles also apply to the Annual Overview of Developments in the International Trading 
Environment.  
5. The Trade Monitoring Reports seek to provide the WTO membership with regular updates on 
the state of global trade and to shed light on the latest trends in the implementation of new trade 
policy measures. The reports, as well as our meeting today, are fundamental components of a 
platform which promotes transparency in trade policy -making a nd allows for constructive peer 
review among you, the Members.  
6. I also wish to recall the Decision by Ministers at the 8th Ministerial Conference which called 
on the TPRB to continue and strengthen the trade monitoring exercise. Specifically, Ministers 
expressed their commitment to comply with existing transparency obligations and reporting 
requirements needed for the preparation of the trade monitoring reports, and to support and 
cooperate with the Secretariat in a constructive manner.  
7. As you know, the prep aration of these Reports relies on Members’ timely and specific inputs 
to the trade monitoring exercise, as well as their compliance with the notification requirements under 
WTO Agreements. For the current Report, 48% of the membership provided input, repr esenting 
around 92% of world trade.  
8. The Secretariat continues to improve the information gathering process, including providing 
delegations with guidance in terms of the format in which they can submit information. This 
interactive approach is at the core of what essentially is a joint stake holder process between the 
Secretariat and the membership.  
9. Now, turning to the Report before us today, let me highlight a few main themes before inviting 
the Director -General to present the Report and share his views.  WT/TPR/W/1 75 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading System  
 
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  10. Above all, it is difficult to imagine  a timelier Report. Its assessment of trends in world trade 
and in global trade policy making provides important substantive context at a time when uncertainty 
about the global economy continues to grow.  
11. I do believe this Report raises many issues that we collectively need to consider, including the 
increased trade coverage of the import -restrictive measures compared to that recorded in the 
previous annual overview.  
12. Allow me also to highlight the findings of the Report with respect to the compliance and 
timeliness of Members' notifications to the WTO. As you know, this Section of the Report is a unique 
feature of the end -of-year overview, and it takes a detailed look at the state -of-play on notifications 
across the WTO system.  
13. With a few exceptions, compli ance with notification requirements of the various WTO 
Agreements remains very uneven and this, I think we can all agree, undermines individual 
agreements and more generally the operation of the multilateral trading system.  
14. Now, let me give the floor to t he Director General to introduce his Report. Subsequently, I will 
open the floor for comments from delegations.  
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS  BY THE DIRECTOR -GENERAL  
15. We are here to take stock of major developments in the international trading system over the 
past 12 months.  
16. These developments are presented in my Annual Report, which was circulated to Members on 
29 November in document WT/TPR/OV/22. As always, this Rep ort is issued under my own 
responsibility.  
17. Transparency is at the heart of everything we try do at the WTO. It is central to the 
predictability and stability provided by the multilateral trading system. This report and this annual 
overview are important el ements in these efforts – especially during the current turbulent times in 
global trade.  
The Report  
18. The Report takes stock of trade and trade -related measures implemented across the WTO 
membership between mid -October 2018 and mid -October 2019. In addition  to the trade -facilitating 
and trade -restrictive measures implemented during that period, the Report also outlines trends in 
global trade policy -making, as well as on -going work across the WTO committee structure. The 
Report also presents a comprehensive a ccount of the state of notifications by WTO Members.  
19. This exercise is about transparency, objectivity and facts. It has no legal effect on the rights 
and obligations of WTO Members. This is always important to remind you. It does not seek to pass 
any judg ement on whether a trade -restrictive or even a liberalizing measure is protectionist or not, 
whether it is consistent or not with the WTO Agreements. It does not question the explicit right of 
Members to adopt certain trade measures.  
20. In a moment, I will ou tline the Report's key findings. But first, I would like to provide some 
background on how this document is prepared.  
21. Around 79 Members and 3 Observers contributed to this overview. This represents 48% of the 
membership, and covers around 92% of world impo rts, roughly the same as for the previous annual 
overview.  
22. I would like to thank the delegations that actively participated in this exercise by providing 
relevant information on time, and by ensuring the subsequent verification of this information.  
23. Undoubt edly, we can still improve on participation. I strongly encourage all Members and 
Observers to do so in future.  WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  24. Of course, the Secretariat remains available to help Members better understand and 
participate in this exercise.  
Key findings  
25. Let me now highli ght a few of the key findings of the Report.  
26. To begin on a positive note, over the past year, WTO Members implemented 120 new 
measures that facilitate trade. The trade coverage of the import -facilitating measures was estimated 
at USD 545 billion. This is t he second highest trade coverage reported for such measures since 
October 2012.  
27. However, the Report also shows that 102 new trade -restrictive measures were put in place 
during the review period. The trade coverage of these import -restrictive measures is es timated at 
USD 747 billion - the highest recorded since October 2012, and an increase of 27% compared to the 
year before. This should be of great concern to the WTO membership.  
28. I should emphasize, as I have done on previous occasions, that the trade covera ge figure does 
not shed light on the degree of restrictiveness, or the impact of the measures adopted. It simply 
quantifies the value of trade affected with no qualitative analysis. To give an example, if a group of 
countries increase tariffs by 1% over a hundred million dollars and another group increase by 100% 
over a hundred million dollars, we report it the same way. We do not assess how restrictive the 
measure is or the negative impact of that measure. It is important that we keep that in mind.  
29. Of cour se, this finding will not be surprising to any of you. We all read and watch the news. 
We have all witnessed how tensions in the global trading environment have risen. The resulting 
uncertainty around trade is widely recognized today as a leading factor cu rrently holding back 
economic growth, business confidence, investment, and job creation.  
30. The Report also attempts to estimate the accumulated "stockpile" of import restrictions 
implemented since 2009. Our research suggests that import restrictions introduced since then now 
affect 7.5% of world imports. The trade coverage of import -restrictive measures implemented since 
2009, and still in force by mid October 2019, is estimated at USD 1.7 trillion. This suggests that the 
stockpile of imp ort restrictions has continued to grow, and that Members are not rolling back many 
of the restrictive measures that they put in place earlier.  
31. The WTO Secretariat will continue to monitor these and other developments and report back 
to Members regularly.  
Other findings  
32. Now, let me say a few words about some of the other findings of the Report.  
33. Trade remedy measures continue to be a very important trade policy tool for WTO Members.  
34. They accounted for about 68% of all trade measures captured. The main sector s targeted by 
trade remedy initiations were furniture, iron and steel, and machinery and mechanical appliances. 
The trade coverage of initiations of trade remedy investigations was estimated at USD 46 billion. 
The coverage of terminations of trade remedy a ctions was estimated at USD 25 billion.  
35. I should again stress, particularly in the case of trade remedies, that the Report does not call 
into question the WTO consistency of any of the measures listed. Nor is the Report in a position to 
establish who's at fault: whether it is the importer or the exporter.  
36. Now, let me turn to the Report's findings with respect to general economic support measures 
and subsidies.  
37. Unfortunately, it was again not possible to establish a balanced and comprehensive annex to 
the Re port. This was a result of the very poor response rate of WTO Members to the request for 
information - only 8 WTO Members volunteered information on subsidies. You will recall that at our 
meeting in July, I urged Members to consider how this issue must be best addressed in the future, WT/TPR/W/1 75 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading System  
 
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  so as to provide more transparency to this category of measures and their potential trade impact. 
It would be very useful if Members could provide guidance to the Secretariat on how they wish to 
see these measures reflected in  the Report. I honestly and strongly urge you to consider this. This 
is a problem. We have 8 Members notifying this. So, is this Section useful? If not, if you don't want 
it for whatever reasons, then we drop it. You decide what to do with this Section but  every year we 
say the same and we don't get any feedback from you.  
38. With respect to trade in services, the Report notes that most of the new measures 
implemented during the review period were trade -facilitating. However, several appeared to be 
trade -restrictive and this is something we will be keeping an eye on.  
39. The report also shows the continued commitment of Members to notify SPS and TBT measures. 
In fact, in both these Committees, Members have dedicated considerable time to discussing Specific 
Trade Co ncerns. This suggests an increasing use of the Committees by Members as forums in which 
trade concerns may be resolved without resorting to the formal dispute settlement process.  
40. The report also shows that an increasing number of trade concerns besides SPS  and TBT were 
also raised in WTO bodies during the review period. Moreover, several trade concerns were raised 
in more than one WTO body, indicating that they involve technically complex and cross -cutting 
issues. This demonstrates the systemic value of WTO  committees as constructive platforms for 
Members to engage. That said, the persistent nature of some of the issues being raised may be 
cause for concern.  
41. In addition, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the compliance and timeliness 
of Members ' notifications to the WTO. It shows that Members could do much better on this front and 
I want to echo the Chair's comments here. Timely notifications constitute an essential element for 
transparency. We must continue to explore ways to improve compliance  with notification obligations, 
including understanding why some Members have difficulties here and how we might be able to 
address them.  
42. Finally, the Report also provides Members with an overview of the issues raised in individual 
Trade Policy Reviews. On e notable – and welcome – trend is the increasing number of Members who 
are using the Trade Policy Review process to highlight gender -specific aspects of trade and trade 
policies. Another positive note, the Report highlights progress made in the implementa tion of the 
WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement, as 
well as recent developments in intellectual property.  
Conclusion  
43. So, these are some of the main findings that I wanted to share with you today.  
44. I hope that this snapshot provides food for thought for your discussion this afternoon. I would 
like to express my thanks again to all participants. I also want to thank the Secretariat for their 
excellent work here, as usual.  
45. The Report's findings should be of serious concern for WTO Members and the broader 
international community. Historically high levels of trade -restrictive measures are hurting growth, 
job creation and purchasing power around the world.  
46. Strong collective leadership from the membership wou ld make an important contribution to 
increasing certainty, encouraging investment and bolstering trade and economic growth.  
47. Without such action, however, unfavourable trends could become worse. We have seen how 
world trade has stalled during the review pe riod. The WTO downgraded its forecast for merchandise 
trade growth in 2019 to 1.2%, the slowest since the crisis a decade ago. New trade restrictions and 
increasing trade tensions would only add to the uncertainty that is dragging down growth in the 
world economy. This trend needs to be reversed.  
48. The Secretariat will continue to regularly monitor developments in the international trading 
environment. In doing so, it will be relying on delegations to ensure that transparency remains a 
cornerstone of our work . WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  49. This is the essence of the Report. Thank you all very much for listening. I wish you a very 
productive meeting.  
STATEMENTS BY MEMBER S 
CANADA  
50. I want you to thank you, Chair, and the WTO Secretariat staff for all the hard work they put 
into this Report.  
51. Canada consistently participates in this exercise, and we value the time and effort that goes 
into publishing this review of Members' trade measures. Like others in this Organization, Canada 
notes that increasing trade tensions continue to add to t he uncertainty surrounding international 
trade and the world economy.  
52. This Report attests to that observation and WTO members should reflect upon the 
consequences of implementing measures that add to the instability of the system.  
53. For Canada, the WTO const itutes a critical part of its international trade policy engagement. 
Even when the multilateral trading system is under tremendous pressure, we believe expanding 
trade deepens trust and friendship between countries and shrinks the distance between us.  
54. The DG's Report and the TPR mechanism itself remain a critical tool to achieve our 
transparency objectives and ensure adherence to the rules for a smooth functioning multilateral 
trading system.  
55. In this regard, Canada wishes to reaffirm that it remains committ ed to the WTO's binding rules 
in the conduct of our trade relations, which has helped to foster international trade and development.  
56. Canada is disappointed that Members' record of compliance with respect to notifications 
remains "spotty". We encourage all  to complete the notifications, and to do so in a timely fashion.  
57. Canada is determined, through its work and through the work of the Ottawa Group, to 
strengthen and modernize the WTO across all areas of work, even in this time of turbulence.  
58. We also encour age Members to take measures that build confidence in the multilateral trading 
system. This includes focusing on concrete elements, such as concluding the fisheries subsidies 
negotiations and preparing for a successful and productive Ministerial Conference  in June 2020. We 
would invite others to engage constructively on these objectives in the year to come.  
EUROPEAN  UNION  
59. The EU thanks the Director -General and the Secretariat for their thorough, informative and 
comprehensive Report.  
60. As usual, we would like  to start with the positive developments noted in the Report during the 
period under review.  
61. These include the very significant number of new measures aimed at facilitating trade and 
estimated at USD 544.7 billion reaching the second highest trade coverage  since 2012. And the 
effective use of the WTO Committee of Agriculture to discuss agricultural policies and issues related 
to the implementation of commitments under the Agreement of Agriculture.  
62. Unfortunately, these positive achievements were overshadowed  again by new trade 
restrictions and increasing trade tensions, which added to the uncertainty surrounding international 
and the world economy, namely:  
• 102 new trade -restrictive measures which include tariff increases, quantitative restrictions, 
stricter c ustoms procedures, and imposition of import taxes and export duties. It represents WT/TPR/W/1 75 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading System  
 
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  not only an increase of 27% compared to the previous reporting period, but reaches the 
highest ever recorded number since 2012;  
• The trade coverage of import restrictions me asures implemented since 2009 and still in force 
is estimated at USD 1.7 trillion, suggesting that the stockpile of import restrictions has 
continued to grow.  
63. We share the concerns of the Director -General about the uncertainty in international trade 
and the world economy. It is our strong belief that the only and best way to deal with current global 
trade challenges is preserving and strengthening the multilateral trading system. For this reason, 
we all collectively should stop unnecessary use of trade pro tectionist measures, which put the global 
system at risk.  
64. We also recognize the importance of this reporting exercise, which started in 2009. It 
contributes to the transparency and predictability of the global trade system. Unfortunately, again, 
the WTO f aced “selective commitment to transparency” from its Members. This time, only eight 
Members reported general economic support measures to the Director -General.  
65. As a result, the WTO Secretariat could not include a separate Annex on these measures again. 
The European Union supports the Secretariat continuous efforts to establish such Annex. We echo 
the proposals made in the previous statements: (1) non -verified support measures should be 
included in the report with a remark: "no response to verification reque st received”; (2) Members 
requesting the deletion of a measure should be ready to explain the reasons for such request to 
other Members, in a restricted and informal format, if preferred. We are ready to engage in further 
discussions how to report those me asures, since many support measures are “with potentially 
important ramifications for trade”, as stated in the Report. However, we ask all other Members also 
to engage in the constructive discussions that should be led by the WTO Secretariat.  
66. We thank the Secretariat for highlighting and quantifying the increasing number of trade 
concerns which Members raise, often in multiple WTO bodies and for long periods. This trend was 
the reason behind the EU and 17 other Members to propose guidelines for WTO bodies d ealing with 
trade concerns. While we are not under the illusion that this is the magic bullet for all trade concerns 
that exist, we think the guidelines could significantly improve the interaction among Members on 
trade concerns.  
67. Just a few weeks ago, we c elebrated 30 years of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism. At the 
conference organized on this occasion, everyone noted and praised the value of the WTO Trade 
Policy Review Mechanism, which is the main tool to ensure transparency in global trade. Trade 
Monit oring Report is one of the components of this mechanism. We all collectively benefit from it: it 
gives us not only updates of trade restrictive measures and trade facilitating measures, but also a 
broader view of the global economic situation and trends in  world trade.  
68. While the WTO is facing many challenges at this moment, Trade Policy Review Mechanism has 
always been seen as a success story of this Organization. Therefore, we have to ensure that this 
exercise remains strong and respected by all Members.  
EL SALVADOR  
69. Muchas gracias, Presidente, por convocar a esta importante reunión, y al Director General por 
el resumen sobre los hallazgos más importantes de este Informe. Mi delegación quisiera reconocer 
el trabajo de la Secretaría en la elaboración de este  documento, el cual nos brinda información muy 
detallada para analizar la tendencia mundial en cuanto a la implementación de medidas de 
facilitación o restrictivas al comercio.  
70. Del Reporte nos llamó mucho la atención que el impacto comercial de las medidas  restrictivas 
son 202.2 miles de millones de dólares más altas que el impacto de las medidas de facilitación, a 
pesar de estas medidas fueron mayores.  
71. Lo anterior nos causa preocupación, no solo por el impacto económico que significan estas 
medidas, sino por el impacto que tienen en la institucionalidad y estabilidad en el sistema multilateral 
del comercio que debería brindar, así como la afectación que estas medidas tienen a nivel mundial, 
y en especial para economías pequeñas como las de mi  país. WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  72. Quisiera aprovechar esta oportunidad para compartir con los Miembros que, en un esfuerzo 
por contribuir a la mejora de la tendencia hacia el proteccionismo, y en aras de lograr una mayor 
integración de mi país en el comercio mundial, El Salvador eli minará los aranceles aplicados a la 
importación de vehículos eléctricos a partir del 2020, que pasarán de 30% a 0%. Asimismo, hemos 
aprobado otras medidas de facilitación del comercio, fortaleciendo servicios aduaneros que 
permitirán agilizar los trámites en frontera.  
73. Para finalizar, Presidente, quisiéramos instar a los Miembros a multiplicar esfuerzos para 
implementar medidas que contrarresten esta tendencia a la baja del comercio mundial, y que 
contribuyamos con la Secretaría en compartir información sobre medidas de facilitación que estamos 
implementando para que sean reflejadas en este Informe.  
COLOMBIA  
74. En primer lugar, expresamos nuestro agradecimiento a la Secretaría por la preparación de 
este Informe, y los esfuerzos realizados en reco ger la información de los Miembros, cuantificarla y 
sistematizarla en una publicación que nos permite tener datos comparables y que, además, ofrece 
un panorama concreto y preciso sobre el estado y evolución del comercio a nivel global.  
75. Este Reporte aporta  información muy relevante para todos los Miembros y evidencia la 
importancia del compromiso de transparencia al interior de la Organización. En la medida en que 
todos los Miembros participemos activamente aportando información clara y de manera oportuna, 
todos podremos acceder al análisis de calidad que faciliten la toma de decisiones de política pública.  
76. Mi delegación ha estado comprometida con las diversas actividades que adelanta el Órgano 
de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales, y reconoce el valor de e stos ejercicios colectivos de análisis. 
Hemos presentado consistentemente la información para la elaboración de este Reporte, el cual 
encontramos de gran utilidad.  
77. Entrando en la sustancia del Reporte, no podemos dejar de expresar nuestra preocupación 
con el panorama de incertidumbre e inestabilidad que reflejan las cifras presentadas, las cuales 
llevaron a una revisión a la baja del desempeño del comercio global.  
78. Esta situación se explica en parte por la desaceleración que registran algunas de las princip ales 
economías, pero también tienen una particular importancia las medidas restrictivas del comercio 
aplicadas por varios Miembros.  
79. En esta oportunidad se registraron 102 medidas restrictivas, el número más alto desde 2012, 
que además es un 27% más alta qu e el registro anterior. Es definitivamente un campanazo de alerta.  
80. La tendencia de crecimiento de los flujos comerciales ya viene disminuyendo a lo largo de los 
últimos semestres, y las perspectivas que identifica para los próximos meses no son alentadoras  
registrando una pérdida de impulso en todos los indicadores analizados.  
81. Damos, sin embargo, la bienvenida a las 120 medidas registradas tendientes a facilitar y 
dinamizar el comercio. En especial, nos complace conocer el positivo registro en el área del c omercio 
de servicios.  
82. Reiteramos, por último, que estos reportes son extremadamente útiles para no perder de vista 
el bosque, y son siempre un llamado a fortalecer el compromiso con la transparencia y con la 
adopción de medidas orientadas a facilitar el co mercio.  
83. Agradecemos nuevamente a la Secretaría y al Presidente por este importante ejercicio.  
CHINA  
84. China would like to join others to thank the WTO Secretariat for the dedicated work to compile 
this Report, which provides Members with a comprehensive pict ure of developments in a trade policy 
landscape, especially against the trade turbulence we are facing. I’d like to share some of my 
observations on this Report.   WT/TPR/W/1 75 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading System  
 
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  85. First, protectionism and unilateralism are threatening the multilateral trading system. Trad e 
cannot thrive without stability and predictability. The record -high trade coverage of new 
imported -restricted measures since October 2012 and increasing active recourse to trade remedies 
in the second half of 2019 as reported signal the rising protection ism and unilateralism. Global trade 
is becoming less predictable and more contentious. Moreover, abusing national security exception 
to unilaterally raise tariffs and ban foreign products would open the Pandora's Box. It also will 
severely challenge the ru les-based multilateral trading system. Therefore, China would like to urge 
all Members to reaffirm the commitments to refrain from taking protectionism and unilateralism 
measures.  
86. Second, there is progress, but far to offset the impact of restrictive measu res. We are pleased 
to see solid progress in implementing the expansion of Information Technology Agreement and the 
increasing ratifications by Members on Trade Facilitation Agreement. Up to date, 89% of the 
membership of the WTO have accepted the TFA, and  we look forward to a full implementation of 
TFA by all Members. However, the benefits brought by trade facilitation are not sufficient to offset 
the negative impact caused by trade restrictive measures. Trade coverage of the 102 
trade -restrictive measures  as estimated by the Report was at USD 746.9 billion, which overwhelms 
that of the 120 trade -facilitated measures amounting to USD 544.7 billion. We together need more 
efforts to sustain the momentum of trade and investment liberalization. For China, durin g this review 
period, China reduced tariffs on 1,585 lines, and also reduced VAT on imported pharmaceutical 
products and also well honoured its commitments in the ITA Expansion Agreement. According to the 
Report, talking about the trade coverage, the measu res taken by China in the review period 
accounted for 74.5% of the total import -facilitating measures. In the meantime, China also adopted 
the new Foreign Investment Law, which further liberalized China’s investment policies, providing a 
more fair, transpa rent and predictable business environment.  
87. Third, to fight against protectionism and unilateralism, we need a well -functioning WTO. Two 
days ago, we lost the function of the Appellate Body, the crown jewel of the WTO. We urge all 
Members to continue our ef forts to break this deadlock as soon as possible. We also need to find 
ways to reinvigorate the WTO negotiation function. For the TPRM, we just celebrated the 30th 
anniversary of its establishment.  
88. Members commended and underscored the value of the trade monitoring exercise in 
increasing the transparency. For China, we remain committed and will continue to work with others 
to have a full function of the WTO.  
JAPAN  
89. First of all, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the dedicated work carried  out 
by the Director General and his team to develop this comprehensive Report. We believe this is an 
important tool of ensuring transparency among Members. It helps us formulate a common 
understanding on the current outlook and the future prospect of the rule-based multilateral trading 
system, which is unfortunately facing significant challenges under the current trade tensions.  
90. According to the Report, along with the comments from previous speakers we can observe a 
positive trend in the coverage figure of  trade -facilitating measures in this review period. We truly 
welcome Members’ intent to move forward to increased trade liberalization by concluding various 
FTAs as well as by implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement. Also, we appreciate the consisten t 
progress in the ongoing WTO negotiations such as electronic commerce and investment facilitation, 
which will contribute to further liberalization of the global trade.  
91. On the other hand, Japan would like to echo other Members that it is our significant co ncern 
we continue observing a sharp increase in the coverage figure of import -restrictive measures in this 
review period. The figure is at the historically high level, which would undermine the positive effect 
of the trade -facilitating actions. Even all th e worse for the fact, now the WTO’s core function of 
disputes settlement is paralyzed. Therefore, at this critical juncture of the multilateral trading 
system, the WTO Members should make a collective effort to overcome the current negative trend 
as well a s turbulence efficiently and effectively. This report will definitely provide a good basis for 
necessary background in this regard.   WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  92. Here, I would like to underscore that the role of this Report, that is to enhance transparency, 
is becoming more and more important, particularly in this challenging time. Also, needless to say, it 
is critical that the Secretariat should ensure a neutral and fair treatment of Members in order to 
develop a comprehensive, impartial and objective report. We encourage the Secreta riat to commit 
to this treatment through close cooperation with Members, and Japan remains committed to 
cooperating with the Secretariat in this regard.   
93. Finally, we will have the TPR of Japan next March, and Japan is fully engaged in making the 
best prep aration for this very important work. Japan promises to continue contributing to the process 
for the important monitoring function of the WTO.  
SWITZERLAND  
94. Like others, we would also like to express our gratitude to the Secretariat for a superb Report.  
95. At a time when this Organization is beset by a plethora of problems and the ground upon 
which we cooperate is shifting, it is reassuring to know that the Secretariat remains a bedrock of 
reliability with a stellar performance.  
96. We have easily become  used to the objective and factual, almost scientific approach with 
which the annual report by the Director -General is drawn up.  
97. What is less easy to get used to is the reading of the report’s latest findings.  
98. Import restrictions are once more on the ris e and so is the volume of trade adversely affected 
by them.  
99. The growth in the volume of merchandise trade worldwide has slowed to a trickle.  
100.  More or less the same can be said of the growth in the volume of services trade.  
101.  In general, global trade now grow s much less than world GDP. This is a worrying development.  
102.  Add the increasing world population to this calculus, and one must reach the conclusion that 
trade activity is actually stalling.  
103.  The proliferation of trade restrictions has wide -ranging ramifica tions.  
104.  We have seen that the imposition of one restrictive measure often prompts an affected 
Member to respond in kind.  
105.  This may entail trade diversion which may trigger safeguard measures involving even more 
Members in an expanding web of restrictions.  
106.  The ensuing atmosphere of uncertainty not only dampens business activity but stifles 
investment projects as well as contemporary trade conducted in global value chains cannot be 
separated from FDI or even domestic investment.  
107.  Some of these measures were ta ken without first resorting to dispute settlement. It is as if 
certain conflicts were already being fought out outside the WTO system rather than in it.  
108.  Now this system is walking with a limp. It has become even more difficult to see how this 
organization ’s toolbox could effectively address another likely increase in the number of disputes.  
109.  One modest yet helpful way of tackling or at least shedding some light on the thorny issue of 
general economic support would be to provide the Secretariat with the nec essary information.  
110.  Like others, we are of the view that the establishment by the Secretariat of a separate annex 
to the Trade Monitoring Reports on general economic support measures would go a long way towards WT/TPR/W/1 75 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading System  
 
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  enhancing transparency, an indispensable prer equisite for any resolution of a disagreement or 
dispute.  
111.  We stand ready to work with others to provide the necessary guidance to the Secretariat.  
REPUBLIC  OF KOREA  
112.  I thank Director General and the Secretariat for the Report. I would like to underline the 
significance of the Trade Monitoring Report. As we are aware, back in 2008, I remember many feared 
that protectionism would prevail and impair free trade system. At that crucial juncture, the WTO’s 
monitoring reports have contributed to preventing the then -emerging protectionism and maintaining 
free trade system.  
113.  Coming back to the present, we cannot ignore the reality we are facing now, which reminds 
us of the crisis in 2008 when the fear for trade tensions was high. Today, that fear has become more 
grave and tangible with trade tensions escalating fast.  
114.  As Director General has already pointed out, the stockpile of import restrictions implemented 
since 2009 and still in force suggests, that 7.5% of world imports are affected by those import 
restrictions.  
115.  Considering this critical situation, even though the necessity of vigilance is increasing, the 
report is unfortunately losing its momentum and credibility.  
116.  As the Report itself states, “the Trade Monitoring Report is first and foremost a transparency 
exercis e and is intended to be purely factual.” It adds that, “the WTO Secretariat strives to ensure 
that the Trade Monitoring Reports are factual and objective”.  
117.  However, the Report does not completely reflect the fact as it is, in particular where it is 
claime d to be a geopolitical issue or unconfirmed by a claiming member. To ensure transparency, it 
is fundamental to make an objective and comprehensive report by including the entire factual 
situation that allows us to have an accurate and clear understanding o f the status quo.  
118.  If the Report fails to indicate the state of global trade, it will lead to its immense loss of 
credibility.  
119.  I want to conclude by quoting one phrase in the monitoring report: “vigilance remains 
imperative”.  
AUSTRALIA  
120.  Australia would like to thank the Director -General and the Secretariat for this stock take of 
the major developments in the international trading system over the past 12 months Report.  
121.  This Director -General's report is an important contribution to the transparency which i s 
fundamental to everything we do at the WTO in providing predictability and stability to the trading 
system.  
122.  We note with concern the many serious challenges raised in the report, particularly with regard 
to the stalling of world trade growth and the expa nsion of trade -restrictive measures.  
123.  As Members we need to respond to this challenge, and as we approach the WTO's twenty -fifth 
birthday, to shape an Organization that can respond to the changing nature of modern trade and 
provide a rules -based system that  benefits all.  
124.  We see that unfortunately the Secretariat once again did not receive sufficient information to 
include an Annex about economic support measures, and we are disappointed with the generally low 
response rate of Members to the requests for info rmation and to verification of measures. We 
encourage all Members to participate actively in the trade monitoring report process. Australia 
remains open to discussions on ideas on how to improve response rates.  WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  125.  Transparency and notifications are important public goods for all Members. We encourage 
Members to actively participate in the discussions currently taking place at the WTO to enhance 
compliance with notification requirements. This includes the discussions on the Council for Trade in 
Goods proposal w hich Australia and a number of other Members have co -sponsored in 
JOB/CTG/14/Rev.2 Procedures to Enhance Transparency and Strengthen Notification Requirements 
under WTO Agreements.  
126.  As we can all appreciate, openness and transparency is fundamental to the e ffective 
functioning of this Organization.  
HONG  KONG,  CHINA  
127.  We thank the Director -General and his team for preparing the annual report on developments 
in the area of international trade.  
128.  The report is particularly worthy of our attention at a time when inc reasing trade tensions 
among Members add to the uncertainty surrounding international trade and the world economy. 
World trade growth stalled during the review period and is forecast to drop from 2.6% to 1.2% in 
2019.  
129.  In particular, we are deeply concerned  about the increasing trend of trade -restrictive 
measures and its negative impact on the world economy. The report reveals that WTO Members 
implemented 102 new trade -restrictive measures during the review period, representing a trade 
coverage of USD 747 bi llion. This is the highest recorded since October 2012 and was 27% higher 
compared to the previous annual overview (USD 588 billion). Moreover, the stockpile of import 
restrictions has continued to grow.  
130.  While WTO Members implemented 120 new trade facilita ting measures during the review 
period, and the trade coverage of which estimated at USD 545 billion is the second highest reported 
since October 2012, the figure is still much less than that of trade -restrictive measures.  
131.  We urge all Members to exercise self-restraint and act within the WTO framework, and uphold 
the rules -based multilateral trading system. We also encourage all Members to work towards further 
trade liberalization, such as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), whereby the trade 
cover age of the import -facilitating measures implemented associated with the ITA Expansion 
Agreement amounted to USD 705 billion.  
132.  Trade remedy measures continue to be a very important trade policy tool for WTO Members, 
and account for about 68% of all trade mea sures captured in the report. The review period saw a 
significant increase in safeguards activity. We call on Members to exercise caution and restraint 
when considering the use of trade remedy actions so as to avoid creating unnecessary restrictions 
to tra de. 
133.  Given the importance of transparency, we are disappointed that only 79 Members (48% of 
the membership) replied to the Director -General's initial request for information and requests for 
verification. We also note that in many cases the Secretariat rece ived only partial responses. We 
appeal to Members to play an active part in supporting this transparency exercise.  
134.  The Report notes that the compliance with notification requirements of the various WTO 
Agreements remains uneven. The lack of compliance with  notification obligations undermines the 
individual WTO agreements and effective operation of the multilateral trading system. There is 
clearly room for improvement. We encourage all WTO Members to actively participate in the 
discussions currently taking p lace to enhance compliance of notification requirements, and work 
constructively together to improve the situation.  
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  CUBA  
135.  Arduo trabajo ha desarrollado la Secretaría tratando de compilar tanta información. Nuestro 
reconocimiento por ello, sobre todo tomando en cuenta el entorno económico mundial tan convulso 
y sujeto a constantes guerras, acosos y persecuciones comerciales, cuya expresión más clara y 
evidente es la imposición de medidas unilaterales.  
136.  Como detalla el Informe y cito "las nuevas restricc iones del comercio y las crecientes tensiones 
comerciales aumentaron la incertidumbre en torno al comercio internacional y a la economía 
mundial". Lamentablemente la incertidumbre sigue en aumento a partir de la parálisis del Órgano 
de Apelación como resul tado del bloqueo impuesto por uno de los Miembros de esta organización.  
137.  Sabemos perfectamente lo que un bloqueo significa. Mi país lo ha vivido por casi seis décadas.  
138.  El informe recoge el anuncio por parte del gobierno de los Estados Unidos del fin a la 
suspensión del Título III de la Ley Helms -Burton.  
139.  Las medidas contenidas en la ilegal Ley Helms -Burton implican que se realicen demandas 
judiciales en tribunales estadounidenses contra entidades cubanas y extranjeras fuera de la 
jurisdicción de los EE.UU. y que se endurezcan los impedimentos a la entrada en este país de 
directivos de empresas extranjeras y sus familiares que invierten en propiedades que fueron 
nacionalizadas legítimamente por el gobierno de Cuba, conforme al Derecho Internacional. Ello 
constituye una aberración legal, que, entre otras cosas, determinó que ningún gobierno 
estadounidense desde la adopción de esa legislación en 1996 hasta ahora, incluido el propio 
Presidente Trump en sus dos primeros años de mandato, la aplicara.  
140.  Todas estas di sposiciones y las que adicionalmente conforman el entramado de regulaciones 
del bloqueo económico, comercial y financiero que EE.UU. aplica contra Cuba, dificultan el normal 
comportamiento del comercio de mi país en franca violación de las normas estableci das en esta 
Organización, y perjudican a terceros países que desean comerciar con Cuba.  
141.  Asimismo, constituyen una afrenta a la comunidad internacional que por 28 años consecutivos 
ha condenado, casi por unanimidad, el bloqueo de los EE.UU. contra mi país, incluida la Ley Helms -
Burton, y llamado a ponerle fin, mediante sucesivas resoluciones de la Asamblea General de las 
Naciones Unidas  
142.  Otras medidas podrían haberse incluido en el Informe, pues el gobierno de los Estados Unidos 
no cesa en su empeño diario de  tratar de asfixiar a la nación cubana. Entre ellas podría haber 
incluido:  
• La renovación de la Ley de Comercio con el enemigo, renovada el 6 de septiembre. de 2019 
por un año;  
• La Decisión del Departamento del Tesoro de no permitir viajes culturales y educa tivos de 
contacto con el pueblo cubano, del 5 de junio de 2019;  
• La inclusión por la Oficina para el Control de Activos Extranjeros (OFAC) en la lista de 
Nacionales Especialmente Designados (SDN) de embarcaciones marítimas que transportaron 
petróleo o algun o de sus derivados de Venezuela hacia Cuba. Se incluyó en la lista a las 
compañías dueñas de los buques, todos con bandera panameña, y las empresas que los 
operan.  
143.  La pretensión continúa siendo arrancarle concesiones políticas a la nación cubana, mediante 
la asfixia de la economía y el daño al nivel de la población.  
144.  Esta Casa debe tomar nota.  
THE SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU  
145.  Firstly, we would like to thank the Secretariat for producing this Overview of Developments in 
the International Trading Environment for 2019 (WT/TPR/OV/22), and for the Report on G20 Trade 
Measures as well, issued in November.  WT/TPR/W/ 175 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading S ystem  
 
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  146.  As mentioned by the DG, and also in the briefing, we are extremely concerned about the 
impact of the historically high levels of  trade -restrictive measures and the rise in trade tensions seen 
over the review period. At the present time, when the WTO faces unprecedented challenges, we 
would strongly urge Members to make special efforts to eliminate trade restrictions and resist the 
temptation of further protectionism going forward.  
147.  Other points that are cause for further concern, which are highlighted in the Report, are the 
low rate of response by Members to the request for verification of the information on economic 
support measures , and the general lack of compliance with notification obligations right across the 
WTO bodies. We understand the need for more capacity -building in this regard, but if we are to 
maintain our support for, and our faith in this organization into the future,  Members really have to 
make every effort to fulfil their transparency obligations from now onwards.  
148.  On the positive side, it is pleasing to see Members continuing to raise trade concerns across 
a wider range of WTO bodies, and exploring solutions to trad e frictions without resort to litigation. 
For those technically complex and persistent problems, we are very willing to work jointly and in 
good faith with other Members with a view to resolving them as soon as possible.  
149.  It is also noteworthy that the leve l of activity in the WTO’s Dispute Settlement System 
remained high during the review period. With the current impasse in the Appellate Body and the 
breakdown in the DS mechanism, it is encouraging to learn that Members still see the system as a 
useful way to resolve trade disputes. My delegation fully supports the WTO’s determination to 
continue to conduct trade monitoring activity in a transparent and predictable way. We urge more 
Members to participate in this cause, and to work together towards improving  the proper functioning 
of the WTO.  
BRAZIL  
150.  Brazil would like to thank the Director -General and the Secretariat for preparing this annual 
report, which is one of the most visible products of the monitoring and transparency pillar of the 
WTO. The report is a lso a very useful tool to disseminate information about the Members’ trade 
policy.  
151.  Unfortunately, its current version shows that the trade landscape remains challenging. Import -
restrictive measures are on the rise once again and have reached their highest point in terms of 
trade coverage since October 2012, standing at around USD 747 billion.  
152.  The trade coverage of import -restrictive measures recorded in the last two annual overviews 
has also grown significantly.  
153.  Against this background, I am pleased to note  that 22 out of 120 measures facilitating trade 
in the period under consideration were introduced by Brazil, which means that Brazil responds to 
almost 20% of the total number of measures facilitating trade.  
154.  This reflects Brazil’s commitment to opening up its economy and to contributing to more open 
markets around the world.  
155.  Brazil’s determination to promote reforms domestically is coupled by our commitment to 
reforms at the WTO and to enhancing transparency of the multilateral trading system.  
156.  Brazil has re mained strongly committed to this exercise, and has regularly reviewed and 
verified all the information identified by the secretariat, including on general economic support 
measures.  
157.  I conclude by stating that Members can count on Brazil’s continued and constructive 
engagement with the monitoring exercise and by reaffirming Brazil’s commitment to transparency.  
SINGAPORE  
158.  We remain concerned about trade tensions and the rise in trade restrictive measures.  WT/TPR/W/1 75 • Overview of Developments in the international Trading System  
 
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  159.  We note from the Secretariat’s report that compliance with notification requirements remains 
very uneven, and we encourage Members to seek, where needed, further technical assistance from 
the Secretariat and partners in order to fulfil their outstanding notifications. Members’ timely and 
compl ete notifications contribute to the predictability and transparency of the international trading 
system.  
160.  We also note the report’s point that the reasons behind the repetition and non -resolution of 
the same trade concerns and issues in various WTO bodies m ay warrant further study. We would 
support such a study and look forward to discussions in this area.  
161.  Having just celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, we want 
to thank the Secretariat for its hard work, and you can count on  Singapore’s continued support in 
this process.  
DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENE RAL AGAH CLOSING REM ARKS  
162.  I don't have much to say. The DG spoke and I've heard all that you have said in his absence. 
As usual, I will convey your comments to him, and will take note and work towards improving how 
best we deliver this service for the next exercise. Thank you all for your kind attention.  
CHAIRPERSON'S CLOSIN G REMARKS  
163.  I hope that everyone has found our exchange of views today to be useful. The ability of the 
trade monit oring exercise to deliver factual and up -to-date information depends, to a very large 
extent, on the input of Members, initially in terms of providing and subsequently in terms of verifying 
information. I think that we can all agree that improved transpare ncy and predictability are 
fundamental elements of a healthy and well -functioning multilateral trading system. Your timely 
contributions to the trade monitoring reports are of paramount importance to ensure and preserve 
the high quality and accuracy of the  reports submitted to you, and further strengthen the 
constructive stakeholder relationship between the Secretariat and Members which is essential to this 
exercise.  
164.  Let me conclude by thanking all delegations for joining us today and for contributing to t he 
discussion. This ends our meeting today. I look forward to our next meeting on 18 and 
20 February  2020, when the TPRB will review the trade policies of the European Union.  
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